For her first broadcast network interview since officially taking office as White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt ventured into the far-left yet superficial lair of ABC’s Good Morning America, but drew the easiest choice of co-host in former NFL player Michael Strahan as opposed to George Stephanopoulos, who served in her position during the Clinton administration.
It started off fairly innocent: “And we want to start with the administration’s offer to buy — what — a mass buyout to federal employees out there. How many do you hope will take it? And by what percentage does the President want to downsize the federal workforce?”
After she said this was done “to make our federal government more efficient and productive and it is a fact that only six percent of the federal workforce here in Washington, D.C. actually shows up to the office,” which “is completely unacceptable.”
“[I]f federal bureaucrats don’t like that, well, guess what? They can resign from their positions and this administration is offering them eight months of pay. It will be paid through September just to simply resign from their positions. If five percent to 10 percent of the federal workforce resigns, it will save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars,” she added.
Strahan’s follow-up about losing talented employees was met with a brief schooling by Leavitt:
Hilarious moment from @PressSec @KarolineLeavitt’s interview on ABC’s @GMA....
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 29, 2025
Michael Strahan: “But is there any concern we risk losing people with years of experience like doctors and — and let’s say scientists?”
Leavitt: “Well, most doctors who work in actual hospitals and… pic.twitter.com/TLNPhs0thO
Side note: Leavitt should have asked Strahan if he was ever able to do his job as an NFL player from home and see what would have happened.
Strahan used the next two questions to fret about the pause in federal grants and loans, which he referred to as “federal assistance programs.” Unlike the hullabaloo peddled by chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce, Leavitt calmly dismantled the fear-mongering about Americans going hungry (click “expand”):
STRAHAN: Well, let’s — let’s get to the funding part. The White House putting a freeze on federal assistance programs. A federal judge has put the freeze temporarily on hold, saying the government itself doesn’t have a full scope of the programs that are going to be impacted. So, what’s your response to that?
LEAVITT: Well, as I addressed in my first press briefing yesterday, this is a temporary pause on federal assistance and grants, so that the Office of Management and Budget here in the Executive Office of the President can review all federal assistance that is going out the door. Again, President Trump promised the American people he would be a good steward of their tax dollars. And what we cannot do is fund programs that run contrary to the executive orders and actions that this President has already taken, so there will no be — federal funding for DEI programs. There will be no more federal funding for the Green New Deal, which is a — an order from the previous administration that President Trump has rescinded. It would make no sense for American taxpayers to pay for policies that this administration is no longer implementing. So, that’s all this is — a temporary pause federal assistance and grants so we can conduct a review of all of the money that’s going out the door. And, as I repeatedly stated yesterday, individual assistance such as Medicare payments, social Security benefits, welfare, food stamps and Medicaid assistance will not be impacted by this federal pause, so the American people should not worry if they are receiving individual assistance from the federal government, they will continue to receive that.
STRAHAN: Well, the Medicaid system was disrupted across the country yesterday. Online portals went down in response to this freeze action. Should that not have happened? And is that a sign of a chaotic rollout?
LEAVITT: No, absolutely not. And I would like to address that. We were made aware of that immediately and we amended the problem immediately. The Medicaid program is back up and running online.
Following a similar request for a “response” to Caroline Kennedy’s public smearing of cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the border became the topic with Strahan expressing concern about “someone...caught in one of these raids” who’s “here with illegal status, they’re a DREAMer or a legally protected refugee.”
Leavitt broke the news to him that the Trump administration “will deport individuals based on the laws of this country” while anyone “here legally, they will, of course, not be deported.”
Strahan closed with an issue likely no American outside the news media or liberal base care about: Mark Milley (click “expand”):
STRAHAN: And we see yesterday the secretary of defense announced that General Mark Milley’s security detail is being removed. His security clearance suspended and the Pentagon looking into whether his military rank should be reduced. Is this in retaliation for — for General Milley speaking out against the President?
LEAVITT: No. This is another example of President Trump not believing that a public official should be subject to a security detail for the rest of their lives. There is nothing preventing the individual to President Trump has stripped the clearances of from obtaining their private security, General Milley included.
STRAHAN: But it only seems like people who have gone against him in the past? It doesn’t line —
LEAVITT: No, I wouldn’t —
STRAHAN: — it doesn’t correlate with other people who have supported him, people who have gone against him. So, why would that not be considered discriminating against those?
LEAVITT: — no, I would reject that. I think President Trump has the right to make these decisions. And, again, he doesn’t think taxpayers should be funding security for bureaucrats and for others who have served in our government for the rest of their lives. And, again, many of the people you are citing are very healthy individuals. They can obtain private security if they wish.
This demolition ended on a humorous note as Strahan, having Milley on his mind, thanked “Karoline Milley...for joining us this morning.”
Ooof.
To see the relevant ABC transcript from January 29, click here.
